A far-right mob chanting "English till I die" clashed with police outside a mosque in the UK town of Southport on Tuesday, after a misinformation campaign claimed that the 17-year-old who killed three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class was a Muslim.

Hundreds of men covering their faces converged outside the Southport Islamic Society Mosque late on Tuesday, barely an hour after thousands gathered nearby for a vigil to remember the victims of Monday's attack.

Scores of masked men could be seen hurling plant pots, bricks and empty bins at riot police, shortly before they set a police van on fire. According to the BBC, some of the mosque's windows were smashed in the process.

Because the suspect is under 18 he cannot be legally identified. Police have provided no details except that he was born in the UK. The Sun newspaper reported that he was born in Cardiff in 2006 after his parents, who are Christian, moved from Rwanda.